How would Max Baer fair today?

When I study Baer on film, I'm not particularly impressed with his style. He throws wide looping shots, leaves himself open to counter attack, and overall is somewhat crude. I respect the fact that he had a fair amount of toughness as well as great punching power, but I really don't see him beating any of the current title Holders. I think Wlad, Peter and Chagaev would all likely prevail over him in one way or another.

 

The same as he was then;actually,he's arguably the prototype of the 'modern era's' long line of great potential-and greater inconsistency-type heavy's.

 

Prety much as he did in his own time.

He would win some spectacular victories, loose to some people he had no business loosing to, sleep with most of the A list.

The distractions outside the ring would be far worse.

He might just decide that he could make more money acting and not bother with boxing.

 

This is pretty much how I see it too.

Most American white men nowadays don't spend time screwing around with boxing ( particularly Jewish white men ). A man of Baer's personality and good looks would probably wind up doing something else.

 

Back in his day, he got by on size, pure strength, power and durability.

In a modern era, he would not be exceptionally large at all and in that regard he would not get very far, considering his complete lack of boxing skill.

 

Personally I think at his best he would knock the living daylights out of Valuev, Peter, and even Wlad(stylistically). But Hey just my opinion. Baer at his best was near great, see the schmeling fight. Baer was an awful lot like foreman, except foreman was bigger, stronger, and he had a top jab unlike Baer.

 

To be fair, he had to give up size a few times. Not least when he won the title from Carnera.

I think he could do verry well against any modern fighter who chose to mix it up rather than outbox him..

 

I'm sure Baer would be champion for reasons already given, but like it's also been said: wine and women would probably go for him, now maybe even more than then.

 

True, he'd still have a rock hard chin and a good punch.


But these days, one loss makes you lose a lot of marketability. He could easily run into an iron chinned fighter with decent skills and lose. That would prevent him from unifying. He's a fighter that can shine bright one night but lose horribly the other. His resume is also very thin and you gotta wonder how much motivation he will have when he will be making even more money than he did back in the day.

 

On the flip side of the coin his freakish power, and the unpredictable results of it would give him a following even if he was inconsistent.

Lets face it there was no such thing as an iron chin against Baer so his fights would have that theatre of the unexpected that seems to atract people to some fighters. At some point you would get a contender who was thought to have an all time chin and Baer would just spark them. A lot of people follow Golotta because they just dont know what will happen.

 

I can't see anyone except maybe Wlad scoring a TKO on Baer today.

His chin is easily ATG.